A Good Ole Time: Seaside Amusements and Boardwalks
I’ll admit when writing Shores of Chaos: Shipwrecked, I was driven by nostalgia for my love of all things related to the seashore. Two of those things are the boardwalk and seaside amusement parks. I personally have always loved walking up and down the boardwalks, looking for cool things to buy or fun games to…
Come One, Come All to the Story of American Vaudeville!
Above image: Poster from the Sandow Trocadero Vaudevilles , 1894 A fun thing I included in one of the chapters of my novel Shores of Chaos: Shipwrecked is a turn of the century vaudeville show. American Vaudeville was an entertainment form in the United States from the 1880s to the 1930s. Vaudeville shows consisted of…
The Evolution of the American Insane Asylum
Above image: Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in Morris Plains, NJ, demolished 2015 Something I decided to add to the final draft of Shores of Chaos: Shipwrecked was the 19th century insane asylum. For most of us when we think of the typical Victorian or Gilded Age insane asylum, we think of grim, filthy places where…
Postpartum Depression in the 19th Century
One of my goals with my writing is to help those suffering from mental illness. In Shores of Chaos: Shipwrecked I tackled postpartum depression (PPD). In my first draft of this story, I unfortunately fell into the trap of making a villain out of my character, Frances Ashman, who is suffering from this illness. For…
A Brief History of Lighthouses
Shores of Chaos: Shipwrecked came about from my love of lighthouses and all things related to the seashore. I went to my first lighthouse when I was about eleven and have been enchanted by their architectural design and their purpose for existence ever since. I chose to set my story in the 1890s as this…
The History of Christmas Traditions and Symbols- Part 2
Here’s some more history behind our favorite Christmas symbols to put you in the holiday mood! Santa Claus The story of Santa beings in the 3rd century AD when a monk helped the poor and sick and became St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children. His veneration spread throughout Europe over the centuries where his…
History of Halloween Symbols
Here’s a fun little post to give you some background on popular Halloween symbols. Jack O’Lanterns Jack o’lanterns started as a tradition in the British Isles. They are associated with will-o’-the-wisps, strange lights that, although caused by natural phenomena, were thought to lead travelers astray and into dangerous places. There is also a folktale of…
Halloween Costume: Quoth the Raven Nevermore
This year’s costume takes on a more imaginative turn as I don a raven masquerade outfit. The costume was inspired by ravens, of course, but also by some costumes from film and TV: The collar is actually inspired by the collars that queens of each krewe (social organization) wear on Mardi Gras. The stays are…
The Queen has Arrived.
My most recent adventure into historical costuming is a 14th century gown fit for a queen. I’ve been wanting to make this costume for awhile and I finally found the right material for it (or more like my dad found it at the store)! You may remember this sketch from my previous post, “Historical Costuming:…
…To Spring: 18th Century 2 for 1 Costume Special
So in this post, we’re saying goodbye to winter and hello to spring. Here’s the second costume I promised you. Once again, the dress in this post can be worn two different ways. Below is the first version of the dress that I made when I was a teenager. I also separated the bodice and…
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About Me
Hi, I’m Genavieve. I am an aspiring author with a vivid imagination and a passion for seeing my ideas become reality. One of the genres I will be writing in is historical fiction as I am an avid lover of history. Another genre I will be writing in is horror fiction as I am fascinated by the supernatural and the macabre.
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